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Notes: No Buck in broadcast booth

Notes: No Buck in broadcast booth

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By Matthew Leach
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MLB.com |

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Cardinals confirmed on Tuesday that Joe Buck will not call any of the team's games in 2008, ending a run of 54 years with a member of the Buck family in the St. Louis broadcast booth.

Dan Farrell, the Cardinals' vice president of sales and marketing, said Tuesday that the club had been notified of Buck's intentions.

Arguably the preeminent figure in sports broadcasting today, Buck had scaled back his work in St. Louis in recent years. He called only 10 games on FSN Midwest in 2007. Nonetheless, his departure represents an end of an era.

Buck's late father, Jack, was recognized by the Hall of Fame with the Ford Frick Award for his remarkable career. The elder Buck, who died in 2002, called Cardinals games on the radio from 1954-2001, missing only the 1960 season. Joe Buck had been a part of Cardinals broadcasts since 1991.

"We're going to miss him," said Mike Shannon, who is beginning his 37th season in the Cardinals' radio booth. "He's one of the great talents, and I think one of the great talents of all time."

Rick Horton, who has filled in on radio broadcasts as well as calling Cardinals games on KSDK TV-5 and KPLR TV-11 in recent years, will see his workload increased as Buck moves on.

"You don't really fill Joe's shoes," Horton said. "We're totally different kinds of people to talk about baseball. I really admire Joe. I think Joe is a tremendous talent and I'm glad I got to do games along the line with both Jack and Joe on the radio side. I can't believe how lucky I was to have those kinds of teachers. Joe is a professional in every sense of the world."

A call to Bud Sports seeking comment from Buck was not immediately returned.

Good news, bad news: Anthony Reyes threw strikes on Tuesday, and he was encouraged by that. Unfortunately for Reyes, those strikes were well-struck by the Orioles.

Reyes gave up four runs on six base hits in his second start of the spring, needing 60 pitches to get through two innings in a 10-2 loss to the Orioles. Of Reyes' 60 pitches, 44 went for strikes.

"I'm around the plate," he said. "I didn't really throw too many over the middle. I'm taking each outing as a positive. I'm going out there and having fun. Each time I'm out there I start feeling like myself again."

Manager Tony La Russa noted that one problem for Reyes was not putting hitters away after he got ahead in the count.

"Good pitching is getting 0-2, 1-2 and then finishing it off," La Russa said. "That's what we watch with everybody. He had that situation a few times today."

Reyes continued to sound an optimistic tone regarding both his stuff and his command, as well as his frame of mind.

"I changed my mechanics a little bit, stopped myself from flying open and missing arm-side high," he said. "That was one of my main concerns working on mechanics this offseason. I feel like I've kind of gotten back to where I used to be and fixed those mechanics."

Moving right along: Matt Clement and Joel Pineiro threw bullpen sessions on Tuesday, and each may ratchet things up the next time out. Pineiro's next outing is scheduled to come on Friday in the Cardinals' game against the Dodgers at Vero Beach. Clement, meanwhile, may throw live batting practice on Thursday or Friday rather than another side session.

Well it's my birthday too, now: Tuesday marked reliever Ryan Franklin's 35th birthday, and Franklin celebrated by not having to come on the trip to Fort Lauderdale. Also celebrating a birthday was Cardinals reporter Joe Strauss, who formerly covered the Orioles and was greeted with birthday wishes both on the scoreboard and over the PA at his old haunt.

Weather report: It could be a dicey day in Jupiter on Wednesday as the Cardinals try to get two games in. The forecast calls for highs in the upper 70s with isolated thunderstorms in the early afternoon and scattered showers in the evening.

Coming up: It'll be a long day on Wednesday for the Cardinals. They play their only scheduled doubleheader of the spring -- not a regular split-squad, but an actual doubleheader. Prospect Mike Parisi gets his first Grapefruit League start in the 12:05 p.m. CT game against the Nationals, while No. 1 starter Adam Wainwright is scheduled to pitch at 6:05 p.m. in what's considered a "road" game against the Marlins. Both games take place at Roger Dean Stadium.

Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.